India has officially lent its support to the efforts of the United Nations in continuing the Black Sea Grain initiative, after Russia announced to halt of the "crucial" grain deal that allows the movement of agricultural goods from Ukraine to other countries.
During an annual debate at the UN General Assembly, India's Permanent Representative to the UN, Ruchira Kamboj, on Tuesday said, "India has supported the efforts of the UN Secretary-General in continuing the Black Sea Grain Initiative, and hopes for an early resolution to the present impasse."
Referring to the Russia-Ukraine war, Kamboj reiterated India's calls for efforts to be made for an immediate cessation of hostilities between the warring nations and an "urgent return" to the path of dialogue and diplomacy. She also expressed concern over reports of attacks on civilians and civilian infrastructure.
"It is also unfortunate that as the trajectory of the Ukranian conflict unfolds, the entire Global South has suffered a substantial collateral damage. It is thus critical that the voice of the global south be heard, and their legitimate concerns be duly addressed," she added.
The representative to the UN also underlined the provision of humanitarian assistance to Ukraine and economic support to India's neighbours under economic distress, saying that they "stare at he escalating cost of food, of fuel and of fertilizers – which has been a consequential fall out of the ongoing conflict."
"In light of my Prime Minister’s repeated engagements with both sides, it is essential to emphasize that we firmly believe that this is not an era of war," she further said.
It is worth mentioning that Prime Minister Narendra Modi has repeatedly called for a peaceful resolution in the ongoing Russia-Ukraine war.
Russia stops crucial Ukraine deal
Russia's sudden move is likely to pose a threat to African nations which are already facing unprecedented crises of grains and other agricultural products, especially wheat.
The United Nations and Ukraine's Western partners hammered Moscow for stopping the Black Sea Grain Initiative, saying it put many lives in danger. The Kremlin said the agreement would be suspended until Moscow's requests to lift limitations on the export of Russian food and manure to the world are met.
"The Black Sea agreements are no longer in effect. The deadline, as the Russian president said earlier, is July 17. Unfortunately, the part of the Black Sea agreement that concerns Russia has not yet been fulfilled. As a result, it has been terminated," Russian state media TASS quoted presidential spokesman Dmitry Peskov as saying.
Russia and Ukraine account for majority of wheat export to the world and the shipments are exported through the Black Sea.
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